As the Founders knew, democracies are inherently subject to all these maladies. That's why they didn't create one. Rather we have, or at least are supposed to, a Republic. We have two houses of Congress, elected on a different basis (one used to be appointed), a President elected on another different basis. an independent judiciary, 50 states with their own set of powers (most of which mimic the separation of powers at the Federal level and so on. When you try to scale up democracy from a town meeting (which is really what Athens was) to a continental Empire, it is the stuff of nightmares to people like the Founders.
The proposals in the article about non-partisan primaries and ranked choice voting don't end extremism, they merely drive it out of electoral politics to another, darker, place. If you actually want to lower partisan division, lower the stakes. Government used to be a distant thing, with limited functions. Now it (not just the Feds, but also states, cities, special districts and even the technically private HOAs) are in our face every day controlling vast areas of our lives that the Tsars wouldn't have imagined controlling. It is this vast scope of powers that make people fear the other getting their hands of the levers.
I agree with you 100% on everything you are saying.
I also agree with most of what Baharaeen is saying, however, I think he is either naive or disingenuous re his (4) ideas; he seems to be saying that we can all be friends if we just drop our guard. He ignores what the democrats have done - border, crime, CRT, sexual mutilation of child, warmongering, lawfare, presidential dementia, BLM, girl’s sports, DEI, etc. - and pushes for ranked choice voting and non-partisan primaries (distractions?) in lieu of real issues like voter ID, election system integrity, foreign money, or gerrymandering.
Let him come out for voter ID & election integrity - then I’ll take him seriously.
Pluralism works only when both sides obey the law. Quite simply, when Obama took over and weaponized the DOJ, the military, and everything else (which only became fully apparent in the "Russia Hoax") pluralism has to go out the window for a while. Quite simply, in the last 8 years Democrats have refused to play by ANY rules. They repeatedly challenged election results (2004,2016), embarked on a full-fledged "resist" from 2017-2022 in which Democrat mayors and governors refused to enforce existing civil laws; used the CDC to override religious objections to vaxxes in schools and the military, forced transoid policies on local schools, falsified FISA wiretaps on numerous members of President Trump's team, refused to indict Hillary Clinton for clear and obvious breaches of classified documents, empaneled grand juries to try to bankrupt and jail the candidate of the other party, engaged in multiple in-home raids of people they, well, didn't like.
Sorry, but pluralism returns when this balance scale is set right. We don't just "go back to before Obama" without some justice and, yes, a little vengeance. Ashli Babbit, almost all of the non-violent Patriot Day (J6) prisoners must be recompensed; blatant lawbreakers in the FBI, DNI (Clapper), and people such as John Brennan all need to be truly held to account. Dr. Fauci mus answer for peddling lie after lie---as is now PROVEN by numerous scientific papers.
Pluralism can exist again, but it only works under the umbrella of respect for the law. If Democrats are serious, they will demand restitution for J6ers, rename all the military bases for their original Confederate generals, purge woke from the DoD, and assist Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy in eliminating mass corruption through DOGE. When I again see Democrat Senators confirming GOP nominees the way the GOP confirms Democrat nominees, then maybe we're close.
But sugar coating this as in "we need to return to respecting pluralism" still awaits a Nuremberg.
When you, your family, your employees/supporters and your friends are harassed and bankrupt because of today's FBI and DOJ, then get back to us about how much you respect the rule of law.
Good sentiments from Mr. Baharaeen, and I suspect many will think, "Yes, but the other side sucks! If they would only. . . " And I'm not saying I don't think that too, because I mostly do, but the author's point is well taken.
It reminds me of "Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you many inherit a blessing." 1 Peter 3:9 NIV
More wisdom from the Bible, and if ye be a Christian, be a Christian and start helping to heal and unite, highlighting what we have in common, as Mr. Baharaeen suggests, starting in your family and neighborhood.
"Consider two recent trendlines. First, partisans have become likelier to see election outcomes as having a more direct impact on their lives than they once did."
I have a foot in both tribes. I live in liberal land with roots from the working class Midwest. I see things pretty clearly.
The source of the problem is 80% left-Democrat-liberal progressive. And the 20% coming from the right-Republican-conservative side is reactionary over the behavior of the other side. Remember that Murdoc made Fox News because he noted that the regular MSM had gone way left biased and really denigrated half the country.
So, making this a bipartisan problem will never help solve the problem.
The Democrat machine combined with the education system and the corporate media is responsible for a constant stream of radical ideas and emotive hyperbole injected into the heads of its subjects 24x7x365. Add social media and these victims of ideological indoctrination and propaganda held spread a parasitic mind virus of mythology that seem to replace their lack of spirituality. Thus they cling to those ideas like any pious follower of any big religion.
Here on Substack they have multiplied after the election. The rest of us welcome a debate of differing ideas, but these people preach their radical views as elite and righteous and constantly denigrate the rest of us as being ignorant, lower-class, uneducated... basically lesser people they, the Liberal Elect, have been ordained by their college degree to rule over the rest of us.
They are generally educated female and clearly have cognitive dissonance issues and are in need of massive cognitive behavior therapy. But it is like they are getting their sessions from only people that are just like them... perpetually validating and reassuring them that they are good the way they are. Not only are they good the way they are, but they are the better people.
This is a problem of mass formation of people owning vulnerable narcissism traits that are attempting to take over control of the world.
The fix needs to start with the education system that is corrupting the minds of students to become the same. We also need to eliminate section 230 protections for the social media & tech companies to force them to implement controls that reduce human harm. China does it. It can be done.
I say this is as a lifelong Democrat, formerly a very partisan one, in a solid blue state…only one side weaponizes the powers of government and culture to relentlessly punish and persecute their opposition or those deemed insufficiently radical. The trans example is obvious - common sense is treated as nazism. The left looked at Orwell and instead of seeing a warning, saw a how-to book. Living in a west coast city if you are a moderate or god forbid a conservative is to be under constant threat of losing your job and livelihood, of being a victim of crime because all crime has been de facto legalized, and having your taxes and fees constantly raised to be transferred to the nonprofit complex with no outcomes except the re-election of their patrons. People outside the west coast don’t know just how bad it is here. Trump will have no impact on anyone’s lives in CA, OR, WA except maybe illegal immigrants and those who make money facilitating and defending illegal immigration, and maybe the butchers doing trans surgery on kids…maybe. But probably not. We’re stuck behind a rainbow curtain like the old Eastern Europe behind the iron one.
I live in Portland. Half or more of the people here think that insane radical woke ideas are Truth, that All Good People agree with these ideas,and anyone who disagrees with them is in the "MAGA cult." When I read articles about how "Woke has peaked and will be over soon" I figure that author doesn't reside in a woke area of the country.
I couldn’t agree more. The authors pipedream that non-partisan races and rank choice voting are going to smooth things out between the tribes has absolutely no basis in reality. Come to Seattle sometimes see how it works Since we made all these offices non- partisan and who do you think put that rank choice voting on the ballot here? Progressivists put it there. There cannot be bipartisan negotiations between progressivists and Paleo conservatives. They fight each other. Progressivists start and win most of the fights to the detriment of our West Coast cities.
I live in San Francisco. We just elected a billionaire moderate as Mayor, and there is a majority of moderates on the Board of Supervisors for the first time in two decades. We recalled our far-left DA and replaced him with a DA who actually believes in prosecuting drug dealers. And guess what? Crime has been going down. If it can happen here, it can happen anywhere. San Francisco will never be a conservative place, and it would lose its charm if it were. But the far-left loonies are no longer running the nuthouse.
Duty, Honor, County are emblazoned on the entrance to West Point. I am a military Veteran but have never been a conservative. The only Republican I voted for was Ronald Reagan. And while I have had differences with my friends and fellow Veterans politically - mostly over how much freedom we should have and what freedom really means - I could always count on them to uphold these ideals. Most of my family is from rural America and I knew that they would always put their communities, their country, and their family ahead of any partisan dispute. Almost all the men in my family served at least one tour of duty. For most of them religion was a guiding influence on their lives and with it, a respect for institutions and a respect for the rule of law.
I don’t know where that conservatism went. All I see are petty hatreds and calls for vengeance from a small, selfish and hateful man, who has never served or sacrificed anything in his life. One who is above the law and smugly rubs it in our face and threatens the free press as the enemy of the people, promises to root out as vermin his political opponents and to jail good patriotic Americans who he disagrees with. So yes of course, this rhetoric is driving America apart.
His supporters have abandoned conservative values and instead support crass and vulgar leaders with their parade of wives and children from different women as a model to emulate. Just grab them in the pussy, right guys! I hope this is merely a cult of personality and will pass with him, but something seems to have changed. My nieces and nephews don’t go to church or serve their country anymore. They refuse to get vaccinated, not for any logical reason, but just as a mark of tribal allegiance. And when the inevitable happens and they suffer long debilitating bouts of illness they blame liberals and the Chinese instead of their own foolishness.
I won’t go into the failings of modern liberalism but they are many. Suffice to say the old guiding themes of free speech, free thinking, and tolerance for differences are on their way out on the left or maybe are all the way out. I find myself politically homeless.
This essay definitely points us to something lost in the American spirit. A nation divided against itself cannot stand.
Unfortunately, I have to admit that I am one of the people who can't stand the people on "the opposite side" of the issues I care about. If they could learn to think rationally and critically and interact in a respective manner I would continue to try to work towards understanding and compromise. As it is, moving to a location where I never have to be around them again sounds like the best option.
Scrutinize the conduct of those who hold or desire to hold government leadership positions:
Regardless of your political party or leanings, use your voice, vote and any other legal and peaceful means available to ensure that unethical or unlawful patterns of conduct do not diminish honesty, integrity and good character in state and federal government leadership positions. This is one of the most patriotic ways you can consistently support and defend our nation throughout your life. (Examples of such unethical and unlawful patterns of conduct include, but are not limited to, the following, and they've been associated with both Rs and Ds seeking, elected to or appointed to high offices: Lying; fomenting violence or failing to legally prosecute it; sexual assault; knowingly or carelessly making false accusations; accepting bribes; engaging in coercion or extortion; ignoring obvious conflicts of interest, including those involving family members; etc.)
We have a great opportunity due to the shifting of the electorate. Steve Bannon the conservative polemicist, in a Semafor interview last week made some suggestions that most economic populists would probably agree with. Taxing the wealthy, no taxes on tips, overtime, or Social Security. How can Democrats not agree with those positions?
The shift of the working class to Republicans, while Democrats still ideologically have positions beneficial to the working class creates potential to pass legislation neither side can afford to disagree on.
As we saw with the income tax, "the wealthy" are measured with a rubber yardstick. It morphed into the middle class because that is where the money is. I have no love for the billionaires who wish to dominate us but we need to be careful about using the tax code to control them. Some sort of populist fusion is necessary though. Perhaps the tax part should focus on NGOs.
"wealthy" usually means "somebody other than me". I figure the highest quintile by census figures is by definition not middle class and needs to be taxed until they squeal like a stuck pig. I could certainly pay a lot more.
What exactly are you measuring? Wealth, income, family income, AGI, MAGI or something else. My position is that using taxes to make social policy is what got us the completely incomprehensible tax code that even the IRS doesn't understand. Use taxes to raise revenue and then spend that revenue in an agreed upon plan. Subsidies should be handled on the expenditure side.
https://data.census.gov/table/ACSDT1Y2023.B19080?q=income%20quintile Our tax code is written in English. I have a CPA but I do read and understand taxes. Trickle down was voodoo economics, didn't work, still doesn't. Just like in real life we need to pay for things. Agree on subsidies. Calling subsidies a tax credit should fool no one.
While I realize that "Who started it" type arguments are typically not helpful, I have watched with dismay the recent disregard of the Democrat establishment for the rule of law, including the plain text of our Constitution. By empowering the executive/bureaucratic branch to make laws, reinterpret laws (what is a woman?), et al, often in clear violation of the actual text of the statute, it has indeed raised the stakes. I sit here in Washington state and watch the Democrats in Olympia, having a single party stranglehold on the state government, run roughshod over my rights and the state constitution. It's like whatever nonsense the California Democrats propose, Washington Dem's are "Hold my beer". I don't trust today's Democrats with power. They abuse it as a matter of their DNA. Republicans are not angels either, but at least they talk about reducing the size and reach of government. I don't see any evidence that the Democrat party is going to change.
The divide in this country looks political and acts through politics, but it is really mostly cultural and I mean, cultural, and it’s broad as possible sense and yes, this cultural divide can be neatly seen in the differences of education of religion of geography and of course race.
As the Founders knew, democracies are inherently subject to all these maladies. That's why they didn't create one. Rather we have, or at least are supposed to, a Republic. We have two houses of Congress, elected on a different basis (one used to be appointed), a President elected on another different basis. an independent judiciary, 50 states with their own set of powers (most of which mimic the separation of powers at the Federal level and so on. When you try to scale up democracy from a town meeting (which is really what Athens was) to a continental Empire, it is the stuff of nightmares to people like the Founders.
The proposals in the article about non-partisan primaries and ranked choice voting don't end extremism, they merely drive it out of electoral politics to another, darker, place. If you actually want to lower partisan division, lower the stakes. Government used to be a distant thing, with limited functions. Now it (not just the Feds, but also states, cities, special districts and even the technically private HOAs) are in our face every day controlling vast areas of our lives that the Tsars wouldn't have imagined controlling. It is this vast scope of powers that make people fear the other getting their hands of the levers.
I agree with you 100% on everything you are saying.
I also agree with most of what Baharaeen is saying, however, I think he is either naive or disingenuous re his (4) ideas; he seems to be saying that we can all be friends if we just drop our guard. He ignores what the democrats have done - border, crime, CRT, sexual mutilation of child, warmongering, lawfare, presidential dementia, BLM, girl’s sports, DEI, etc. - and pushes for ranked choice voting and non-partisan primaries (distractions?) in lieu of real issues like voter ID, election system integrity, foreign money, or gerrymandering.
Let him come out for voter ID & election integrity - then I’ll take him seriously.
Pluralism works only when both sides obey the law. Quite simply, when Obama took over and weaponized the DOJ, the military, and everything else (which only became fully apparent in the "Russia Hoax") pluralism has to go out the window for a while. Quite simply, in the last 8 years Democrats have refused to play by ANY rules. They repeatedly challenged election results (2004,2016), embarked on a full-fledged "resist" from 2017-2022 in which Democrat mayors and governors refused to enforce existing civil laws; used the CDC to override religious objections to vaxxes in schools and the military, forced transoid policies on local schools, falsified FISA wiretaps on numerous members of President Trump's team, refused to indict Hillary Clinton for clear and obvious breaches of classified documents, empaneled grand juries to try to bankrupt and jail the candidate of the other party, engaged in multiple in-home raids of people they, well, didn't like.
Sorry, but pluralism returns when this balance scale is set right. We don't just "go back to before Obama" without some justice and, yes, a little vengeance. Ashli Babbit, almost all of the non-violent Patriot Day (J6) prisoners must be recompensed; blatant lawbreakers in the FBI, DNI (Clapper), and people such as John Brennan all need to be truly held to account. Dr. Fauci mus answer for peddling lie after lie---as is now PROVEN by numerous scientific papers.
Pluralism can exist again, but it only works under the umbrella of respect for the law. If Democrats are serious, they will demand restitution for J6ers, rename all the military bases for their original Confederate generals, purge woke from the DoD, and assist Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy in eliminating mass corruption through DOGE. When I again see Democrat Senators confirming GOP nominees the way the GOP confirms Democrat nominees, then maybe we're close.
But sugar coating this as in "we need to return to respecting pluralism" still awaits a Nuremberg.
I have as much respect for the rule of law as President Donald Trump has.
When you, your family, your employees/supporters and your friends are harassed and bankrupt because of today's FBI and DOJ, then get back to us about how much you respect the rule of law.
Good sentiments from Mr. Baharaeen, and I suspect many will think, "Yes, but the other side sucks! If they would only. . . " And I'm not saying I don't think that too, because I mostly do, but the author's point is well taken.
It reminds me of "Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you many inherit a blessing." 1 Peter 3:9 NIV
More wisdom from the Bible, and if ye be a Christian, be a Christian and start helping to heal and unite, highlighting what we have in common, as Mr. Baharaeen suggests, starting in your family and neighborhood.
typo 'may'
"Consider two recent trendlines. First, partisans have become likelier to see election outcomes as having a more direct impact on their lives than they once did."
I have a foot in both tribes. I live in liberal land with roots from the working class Midwest. I see things pretty clearly.
The source of the problem is 80% left-Democrat-liberal progressive. And the 20% coming from the right-Republican-conservative side is reactionary over the behavior of the other side. Remember that Murdoc made Fox News because he noted that the regular MSM had gone way left biased and really denigrated half the country.
So, making this a bipartisan problem will never help solve the problem.
The Democrat machine combined with the education system and the corporate media is responsible for a constant stream of radical ideas and emotive hyperbole injected into the heads of its subjects 24x7x365. Add social media and these victims of ideological indoctrination and propaganda held spread a parasitic mind virus of mythology that seem to replace their lack of spirituality. Thus they cling to those ideas like any pious follower of any big religion.
Here on Substack they have multiplied after the election. The rest of us welcome a debate of differing ideas, but these people preach their radical views as elite and righteous and constantly denigrate the rest of us as being ignorant, lower-class, uneducated... basically lesser people they, the Liberal Elect, have been ordained by their college degree to rule over the rest of us.
They are generally educated female and clearly have cognitive dissonance issues and are in need of massive cognitive behavior therapy. But it is like they are getting their sessions from only people that are just like them... perpetually validating and reassuring them that they are good the way they are. Not only are they good the way they are, but they are the better people.
This is a problem of mass formation of people owning vulnerable narcissism traits that are attempting to take over control of the world.
The fix needs to start with the education system that is corrupting the minds of students to become the same. We also need to eliminate section 230 protections for the social media & tech companies to force them to implement controls that reduce human harm. China does it. It can be done.
I appreciate all of your comments until the last paragraph. Censorship and emulating China is a hard no.
I say this is as a lifelong Democrat, formerly a very partisan one, in a solid blue state…only one side weaponizes the powers of government and culture to relentlessly punish and persecute their opposition or those deemed insufficiently radical. The trans example is obvious - common sense is treated as nazism. The left looked at Orwell and instead of seeing a warning, saw a how-to book. Living in a west coast city if you are a moderate or god forbid a conservative is to be under constant threat of losing your job and livelihood, of being a victim of crime because all crime has been de facto legalized, and having your taxes and fees constantly raised to be transferred to the nonprofit complex with no outcomes except the re-election of their patrons. People outside the west coast don’t know just how bad it is here. Trump will have no impact on anyone’s lives in CA, OR, WA except maybe illegal immigrants and those who make money facilitating and defending illegal immigration, and maybe the butchers doing trans surgery on kids…maybe. But probably not. We’re stuck behind a rainbow curtain like the old Eastern Europe behind the iron one.
I live in Portland. Half or more of the people here think that insane radical woke ideas are Truth, that All Good People agree with these ideas,and anyone who disagrees with them is in the "MAGA cult." When I read articles about how "Woke has peaked and will be over soon" I figure that author doesn't reside in a woke area of the country.
I couldn’t agree more. The authors pipedream that non-partisan races and rank choice voting are going to smooth things out between the tribes has absolutely no basis in reality. Come to Seattle sometimes see how it works Since we made all these offices non- partisan and who do you think put that rank choice voting on the ballot here? Progressivists put it there. There cannot be bipartisan negotiations between progressivists and Paleo conservatives. They fight each other. Progressivists start and win most of the fights to the detriment of our West Coast cities.
I live in San Francisco. We just elected a billionaire moderate as Mayor, and there is a majority of moderates on the Board of Supervisors for the first time in two decades. We recalled our far-left DA and replaced him with a DA who actually believes in prosecuting drug dealers. And guess what? Crime has been going down. If it can happen here, it can happen anywhere. San Francisco will never be a conservative place, and it would lose its charm if it were. But the far-left loonies are no longer running the nuthouse.
Duty, Honor, County are emblazoned on the entrance to West Point. I am a military Veteran but have never been a conservative. The only Republican I voted for was Ronald Reagan. And while I have had differences with my friends and fellow Veterans politically - mostly over how much freedom we should have and what freedom really means - I could always count on them to uphold these ideals. Most of my family is from rural America and I knew that they would always put their communities, their country, and their family ahead of any partisan dispute. Almost all the men in my family served at least one tour of duty. For most of them religion was a guiding influence on their lives and with it, a respect for institutions and a respect for the rule of law.
I don’t know where that conservatism went. All I see are petty hatreds and calls for vengeance from a small, selfish and hateful man, who has never served or sacrificed anything in his life. One who is above the law and smugly rubs it in our face and threatens the free press as the enemy of the people, promises to root out as vermin his political opponents and to jail good patriotic Americans who he disagrees with. So yes of course, this rhetoric is driving America apart.
His supporters have abandoned conservative values and instead support crass and vulgar leaders with their parade of wives and children from different women as a model to emulate. Just grab them in the pussy, right guys! I hope this is merely a cult of personality and will pass with him, but something seems to have changed. My nieces and nephews don’t go to church or serve their country anymore. They refuse to get vaccinated, not for any logical reason, but just as a mark of tribal allegiance. And when the inevitable happens and they suffer long debilitating bouts of illness they blame liberals and the Chinese instead of their own foolishness.
I won’t go into the failings of modern liberalism but they are many. Suffice to say the old guiding themes of free speech, free thinking, and tolerance for differences are on their way out on the left or maybe are all the way out. I find myself politically homeless.
This essay definitely points us to something lost in the American spirit. A nation divided against itself cannot stand.
Another outstanding article from Mr. Baharaeen!
Unfortunately, I have to admit that I am one of the people who can't stand the people on "the opposite side" of the issues I care about. If they could learn to think rationally and critically and interact in a respective manner I would continue to try to work towards understanding and compromise. As it is, moving to a location where I never have to be around them again sounds like the best option.
I like your comment because I have no idea which “side” you are on. Well done!
Thank you!
Here's something to add to the "to do" list:
Scrutinize the conduct of those who hold or desire to hold government leadership positions:
Regardless of your political party or leanings, use your voice, vote and any other legal and peaceful means available to ensure that unethical or unlawful patterns of conduct do not diminish honesty, integrity and good character in state and federal government leadership positions. This is one of the most patriotic ways you can consistently support and defend our nation throughout your life. (Examples of such unethical and unlawful patterns of conduct include, but are not limited to, the following, and they've been associated with both Rs and Ds seeking, elected to or appointed to high offices: Lying; fomenting violence or failing to legally prosecute it; sexual assault; knowingly or carelessly making false accusations; accepting bribes; engaging in coercion or extortion; ignoring obvious conflicts of interest, including those involving family members; etc.)
We have a great opportunity due to the shifting of the electorate. Steve Bannon the conservative polemicist, in a Semafor interview last week made some suggestions that most economic populists would probably agree with. Taxing the wealthy, no taxes on tips, overtime, or Social Security. How can Democrats not agree with those positions?
The shift of the working class to Republicans, while Democrats still ideologically have positions beneficial to the working class creates potential to pass legislation neither side can afford to disagree on.
As we saw with the income tax, "the wealthy" are measured with a rubber yardstick. It morphed into the middle class because that is where the money is. I have no love for the billionaires who wish to dominate us but we need to be careful about using the tax code to control them. Some sort of populist fusion is necessary though. Perhaps the tax part should focus on NGOs.
"wealthy" usually means "somebody other than me". I figure the highest quintile by census figures is by definition not middle class and needs to be taxed until they squeal like a stuck pig. I could certainly pay a lot more.
What exactly are you measuring? Wealth, income, family income, AGI, MAGI or something else. My position is that using taxes to make social policy is what got us the completely incomprehensible tax code that even the IRS doesn't understand. Use taxes to raise revenue and then spend that revenue in an agreed upon plan. Subsidies should be handled on the expenditure side.
https://data.census.gov/table/ACSDT1Y2023.B19080?q=income%20quintile Our tax code is written in English. I have a CPA but I do read and understand taxes. Trickle down was voodoo economics, didn't work, still doesn't. Just like in real life we need to pay for things. Agree on subsidies. Calling subsidies a tax credit should fool no one.
Tax code and regulations are indeed written in English, all 2.4 M words.
While I realize that "Who started it" type arguments are typically not helpful, I have watched with dismay the recent disregard of the Democrat establishment for the rule of law, including the plain text of our Constitution. By empowering the executive/bureaucratic branch to make laws, reinterpret laws (what is a woman?), et al, often in clear violation of the actual text of the statute, it has indeed raised the stakes. I sit here in Washington state and watch the Democrats in Olympia, having a single party stranglehold on the state government, run roughshod over my rights and the state constitution. It's like whatever nonsense the California Democrats propose, Washington Dem's are "Hold my beer". I don't trust today's Democrats with power. They abuse it as a matter of their DNA. Republicans are not angels either, but at least they talk about reducing the size and reach of government. I don't see any evidence that the Democrat party is going to change.
The divide in this country looks political and acts through politics, but it is really mostly cultural and I mean, cultural, and it’s broad as possible sense and yes, this cultural divide can be neatly seen in the differences of education of religion of geography and of course race.